Alligator King
"The Alligator King" is a Sesame Street animated segment about the number 7. The song tells the story of a mustachioed alligator king who is "feeling mighty down" and offers his crown to whichever of his seven sons can cheer him up. The first six sons bring their father luxurious gifts, but they end up doing more harm than good, for example, fancy perfume that causes the reptilian monarch to break out in a spotty rash "'cause it smelled like cheap cigars". The seventh prince, however, helps the king up after he falls down and is awarded the crown, which is revealed to have been purchased "on sale at a discount store" for seven cents. As a result, not only does "The Alligator King" teach about the number 7, but it also shows that helping others and making one's fellow human beings feel cared for is more important than owning material possessions. This segment was animated, produced, and directed by William "Bud" Luckey. The music was performed by San Francisco jazz musician Turk Murphy and his band, with Murphy providing the vocals and Luckey playing the banjo. Lyrics One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven. Said the alligator king to his seven sons, "I'm feeling mighty down. Whichever of you can cheer me up will get to wear my crown." His first son gave him seven oyster pearls from the bottom of the China Sea. The second brought him seven statues of girls with clocks where their stomachs should be. The third son gave him seven rubies from the sheikdom of down their beneath. The king thought the rubies were cherries and he broke off seven of his teeth. The fourth son tried to cheer him up with seven lemon drops. The king said, (spoken) "Oh, I'm sorry, son. Since that ruby episode, I just haven't got the chops." The fifth son gave the king perfume in seven fancy silver jars. The king took a whiff and he broke out in spots 'cause it smelled like cheap cigars. The sixth son gave him seven diamond rings to wear upon his toes. The king snagged his foot on the royal red rug and crumpled up his nose. The seventh son of the alligator king was a thoughtful little whelp. He said, (spoken) "Daddy, appears to me that you could use a little help.". Said the alligator king to his seventh son, "My son, you win the crown. You didn't give me diamonds or rubies, but you helped me up when I was down. Take the crown. It's yours, my son. I hope you don't mind the dents. I got it on sale at a discount store. Cost me all of seven cents." Seven. Releases Audio * The Count Counts (1975) (performed by Jerry Nelson and Richard Hunt) Video * Elmo's Sing-Along Guessing Game (1991) * Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years (1993) * The Great Numbers Game (1998) * Old School: Volume 1 (2006) * TV Episode Fun Pack: Volume 2 (as part of Episode 4114) Trivia * In Episode 3408, Celina had her dance class, after viewing the segment twice, perform an "Alligator King" pageant, with Big Bird in the title role. Gabi played as the seventh son, while Celina sing the narrating part while playing the piano. Also, Big Bird said "ouch" twice in the pageant - the first time he pretended to eat the rubies; the second time he made believe tripping on the rug. * The song was originally recorded with a slightly different end lyric: "I got it on sale at Monkey Ward's" (a slang term for department store Montgomery Ward). For reasons unknown (possibly legal), the lyric was changed to the generic "discount store"; the version heard on the show is the original recording, with the new take with the revised lyric edited on to the end. (The original unedited recording can be heard on the 2001 Turk Murphy compilation CD Wild Man Blues.) * This song is dubbed in ** Arabic (iftah Ya Simsim) (with different music, numbers cut) ** Hebrew (Rechov Sumsum) ** Spanish (Plaza/Barrio Sesamo) Category:Songs Category:Sesame Street Songs Category:Feelings Category:Animals Category:Family